Recap

This episode reveals that the only reason Sheldon became friends with Rajesh and Howard is because Leonard was Sheldon's friend. Rajesh and Howard were really only friends with Leonard when they met Sheldon.

This episode reveals that Howard is called "Bubula" by his mother.

This episode reveals that Sheldon is able to make a simple piece of software that can replace Rajesh at his job.

The episode title refers to Sheldon's plan for Middle East peace by creating a new Jerusalem in the Mexican desert.

Music

Artist

Song Title

Played When

(Unknown artist)

Cielito Lindo

Sheldon sings in his office

Episode Quotes

Sheldon: I would never use a transporter. The original Sheldon would have to be disintegrated in order to create a new Sheldon.Leonard: Would the new Sheldon be in any way an improvement on the old Sheldon?Sheldon: No, he would be exactly the same.Leonard: That is a problem.

Sheldon: What the hell do you mean, "dead end"?Dennis Kim: I mean, the whole landscape of false vacuums in string theory could be as large as 10 to the 500th power. In addition... ooh, look, chocolate milk!

Leonard: You speak English really well.Dennis Kim: So do you. Except for your tendency to end sentences with prepositions.Leonard: What are you talking about?Dennis Kim: That.

Leonard: Go away!Sheldon: If you're concerned about sharing credit with me, your name can go first -- I'm going.

Howard: When I was 15, I met Denise Palmeri and my grade point average fell from a 5.0 to a 1.8.Rajesh: She was sleeping with you?Howard: No, I just wasted a lot of time thinking about what it would be like it she did.

Episode Goofs

When Howard and Sheldon are in Howard's research lab, Howard wears goggles that, in some camera angles, reflect the stage lights.

Cultural References

Howard:(on phone with his mother) There's no Ding Dong in it.

A ding dong is a chocolate cake that's round, with the exception of a flat top and bottom. The shape is quite similar to a hockey puck. The name of the cake comes from the sound of a ringing bell (hence, "ding dong") and the cake is filled with a white cream on the inside. To make it easier to have it in a lunch bag without the chocolate glaze melting, it is wrapped in a square of thick aluminum foil.

Sheldon: Since my prospects for the Nobel Prize in Physics have disappeared...

The Nobel Prize is a Sweden-based international monetary prize established in 1895 by Swedish chemist and inventor Alfred Nobel. The Nobel Prizes are separated into categories, such as physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, literature etc., and the awards are widely considered one of the most prestigious awards anyone can receive.

Sheldon:The oracle told us little Neo was the one. You can see the Matrix, can't you?

Sheldon is referring to the highly popular film/video game franchise The Matrix, in which "The Oracle" predicted "The One" being a man named Neo who had no idea he was so important for the fictional world of "Matrix".

Visual: Sheldon wears a sweater with an image of Superman's logo.

Superman is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC Comics. The character is world-wide known for being an American cultural icon, and the character was first created in 1932. Superman is also widely famous for all his superhuman powers; super-strength, speed, stamina, durability, senses, intelligence, regeneration, super-breath, heat vision, x-ray vision and flight.

Episode References

When all the guys and Penny are sitting in the apartment eating take-out, Penny asks Rajesh if he still can't talk to her unless he's drunk. This is a reference to "The Grasshopper Experiment (1x08)", in which Penny mixed a drink that enabled Raj to speak to women, but only for as long as he's drunk.